By Gloria Attah
The Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa (rtd), has urged Nigerian innovators, startups and researchers to channel their expertise into developing indigenous solutions to address the country’s security challenges.
Speaking at the Omniverse Africa 3.0 Summit in Lagos, the minister said modern security demands more than conventional military hardware, stressing that technology and innovation must play a central role in safeguarding the nation.
Delivering a keynote address titled “The 70/30 Rule: Why Nigeria’s Security and Innovation Agendas are the Same National Project,” Musa stressed the need for Nigeria to move from being a consumer of defence technology to becoming a producer.
He said, “the future requires us to complement courage with technology, foresight, industrial capability and innovation,” he said. “We must secure the nation today, but we must also build the capabilities that will secure the nation tomorrow.”
General Musa disclosed that the Ministry is restructuring its doctrine, acquisition processes, and training to prioritise areas including unmanned systems and robotics, surveillance technologies, cybersecurity and resilience, secure communications, AI governance, data-driven decision tools, and advanced domestic manufacturing.
According to him, the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to drive industrialisation and economic growth through strategic investments.
He noted that reforms at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) are aimed at creating an ecosystem where defence investments can stimulate innovation, generate high-tech jobs, support university research and open up new commercial opportunities.
the defence minister also launched the Defence Futures Lab Pathway, an initiative convened by Kryterion to deepen collaboration between the military and Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.
He clarified that the platform was not designed for procurement but rather for capability development, innovation and long-term strategic planning.
“This is an opportunity to think ahead, organise better and explore practical ways of strengthening the wider defence ecosystem,” he said.
Participants at the roundtable agreed to reconvene in three months to evaluate progress, review proposed technology concepts and align future actions with the Federal Government’s indigenous defence strategy.
